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Tiffanie Wen

For women travelers looking for a little extra security, business and luxury hotels are putting aside space exclusively for female guests and stocking rooms with girlie goodies. In Singapore, the new Naumi boutique hotel offers five ladies-only suites accessed through a security door and featuring satin room accessories (from $400; naumihotel.com). In London, the Grange City hotel offers a 68-room women-only wing, with a female staff and security cameras (from $140; grangehotels .com). The women traveler floor at the Premier Hotel in Times Square in New York provides yoga mats and spa-style room service (from $379; millenniumhotels.com/ premierhotelnewyork). Atlanta's Ellis on Peachtree features women-only suites that offer Spanx hosiery and curling irons (from $334; ellishotel.com).

A night at an airport hotel is usually about as comfortable as hunkering down in a plastic chair in the departures terminal. But several airports have created first-class havens that could be destinations in their own right.Opened in late summer, the boutique Aviator Hotel at the private Farnborough Airport in Hampshire, England, provides seven high-tech meeting rooms near its sleek luxury suites ($511; aviator farnborough.co.uk). In Hong Kong, the Regal Airport Hotel now offers overnight stays in its award-winning OM Spa. Guests can enjoy canopy beds, flat-screen TVs and free-standing tubs ($613 for two, $499 for one; regalhotel.com). At the Munich airport, guests staying at the Kempinski Hotel can snack on healthy treats at the poolside bar ($687; kempinski.com). The Fairmont at Vancouver airport is outfitted with floor-to-ceiling soundproofed glass for dramatic—but quiet—runway views. A fish valet makes sure guests' catches make their departure flights ($90 for four hours;...

Luxury resorts have long catered to the human desire for seaside views. But now restaurants, spas and even entire hotels are taking it to a whole new level, going completely underwater.The Red Sea Star Restaurant and Bar in Eilat, Israel, was one of the first to capitalize on the concept. Located 16 feet below sea level, the star-shaped structure offers views of an active coral reef that's illuminated from above at night (redseastar.com).In the Maldives, the Lime Spa at Huvafen Fushi has two underwater treatment rooms, where guests can watch for stingrays, nurse sharks and tropical fish while receiving the signature Unite Me Crystal Ritual treatment, which involves a body brushing and oil massage using locally sourced ingredients (huvafenfushi .com). And the 12-person Ithaa Undersea Restaurant at the Conrad Maldives Resort features a 180-degree domed ceiling made of thick acrylic arches so diners can feast on Maldivian fusion cuisine amid the underwater sea creatures (conradhotels...

Plain black leggings are a thing of seasons past. This fall, designer tights in bold colors and attention-grabbing patterns are strutting straight off the runway and into boutiques everywhere. Chanel is creating a buzz with its new two-tone tights. While they appear to be white opaque from the front, the back half is a surprising and leg-lengthening black ($140; chanel.com). Betsey Johnson's cream-colored Pretty Papillons low-rise tights pay special attention to detail with subtle embroidering ($60; betsey johnson.com). Anna Sui is doing intricate bohemian designs that mix colors freely and feel a bit rock and roll ($21; annasui .com). And Chloe does a printed tight with an all-over blue floral design against black ($150; neimanmarcus.com). But perhaps Sonia Rykiel offers the most eye-catching designs of the season, vertically stacking chunky blocks of pink, red, purple, black and white from hip to toe ($416; soniarykiel.com). You'll never want to go bare-legged again.

Didi Davis, founder and president of Salt Traders, knows seasoning. Her outfit sells specialty salts harvested directly from the sea, without additives or chemical processing. They retain their trace mineral content, which makes for more complex and delicious flavors. Check out naturally occurring red, pink, green, black and white salts, many with lower sodium-chloride percentages than the table variety (making them healthier). One exotic product: Hawaiian Kona, which is solar-evaporated from water pumped 2,000 feet below sea level. Fleur de sel, the "flower of salt," is hand-harvested off salt ponds in the Guérande region of France, but only when wind, temperature and humidity levels create the perfect conditions for surface evaporation. Pakistani and Himalayan flake salts have delicate structures that adhere to food and readily dissolve. And a variety of smoked salts work well on meat, fish, poultry, potatoes and eggs (salttraders.com).

A night in an airport hotel is usually about as comfortable as hunkering down in a plastic chair in the departures terminal. But several airports have created first-class havens that are destinations in their own right.Opened last month, the boutique Aviator Hotel at the private Farnborough Airport in Hampshire, England, provides seven high-tech meeting rooms alongside its sleek luxury suites (£295; aviatorfarnborough.co.uk). In Hong Kong, the Regal Airport Hotel now offers overnight stays in its award-winning OM Spa. Guests can enjoy canopy beds, flat-screen TVs and free-standing tubs (£354 for two, £288 for one; regalhotel.com).At the Munich airport, guests staying at the Kempinski Hotel snack on healthy treats at the poolside bar. (£397 kempinski.com). The Fairmont Hotel at Vancouver Airport is outfitted with floor-to-ceiling soundproofed glass for eye-popping—but blissfully quiet—runway views. A fish valet makes sure guests' catches make their departure flights (£52 for four...

For those looking to send a personal message with chocolate, M&M's will print sweet nothings on 600 grams of their candy for €23, or portraits for €29 (mymms.com). But now luxury chocolatiers are taking personalization to a whole new level. The Sir Hans Sloane Chocolate and Champagne House in London offers a set of chocolates by award-winning master chocolatier Bill McCarrick, who consults with each client for four to six weeks before creating a confection with the perfect taste, texture and aroma. For €1,500, customers receive their chocolates in a hand-made box with rosewood stringing and ripple sycamore inlays. The company even promises to keep recipes under lock and key so no one can duplicate them (sirhanssloane.com). But for more immed-iate gratification, the special-order Marie-Belle Chocolate Picnic Steamer Trunk, made of textured leather and antiqued brass hardware, is filled with more than 13 kilos of gourmet chocolate; a teapot and tea infuser, and even a hand-bound...

From the catwalk to the red carpet, the hot footwear trend this season is cutout sandals. Evolved from their trendy ankle-boot ancestors, they offer a sexy spin on booties for warm weather. Oscar de la Renta has snipped straight to the point with the befittingly named Cut-Out Bootie, which maintains the classic ankle-boot shape but exposes a triangle of skin just behind the toes (€489; neimanmarcus .com). Jimmy Choo has created the rebellious Anise Biker Leather Sandal, embellished with bold gems that will be sure to sparkle the next time you take your Ducati motorcycle out for a spin (€866; www.jimmychoo.com). For a softer look, the Manolo Blahnik Hande sandals come in black, gray or turquoise leather and feature triple straps and button closures (€632), while the whimsical red Bu sandals, with a provocative black-and-white striped heel, might have been Dorothy's shoe of choice (€626; manolo blahnik.com). But stealing the spotlight is the metallic Christian Dior Extreme Cutout...

The champagne-maker Krug is now taking its bubbly to new heights, offering the world's most expensive hot-air-balloon rides. For €50,000, eight passengers can ride and dine in total luxury while enjoying spectacular views of such sites as the Arizona desert and Somerset, England. Those with a fear of heights needn't worry; the unique adventure starts with a reception at the launch site, where passengers sit in cane-and-wood deck chairs and enjoy appetizers and champagne to ease any last-minute jitters. Then they board the lavish balloon, which features deep-cushioned, white leather lining and compartments for lunch canteens, champagne flutes and cutlery. Once airborne, an onboard butler serves a freshly prepared Michelin three-course lunch consisting of such dishes as bluefin tuna with sesame crème, while passengers take in stunning 360-degree views through complimentary binoculars. An hour or so later, guests are welcomed at the landing site with another reception, where they are...

With the arrival of Masa at New York's Time Warner Center in 2004, sushi reached new heights of originality—and cost. But Masa is not the only gourmet Japanese restaurant charging exorbitant prices for some of the world's most sought-after ingredients. The chefs at Wasabi, in Mumbai and New Delhi, train under famed "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto before expertly preparing his signature dishes like New Zealand oysters with seared foie gras, and prized Waghu beef served teppanyaki style ($250; tajhotels.com). Taro's by Mikuni in Sacramento, California, makes a $200 Ferrari Jewel Bako roll with Kobe beef, Beluga caviar, smoked salmon and gold flakes (mikunisushi.com). But nothing can beat the Koi Las Vegas's Highroller sushi roll. Made from truffles, caviar, foie gras, langoustine, vanilla-bean butter and 100-year-old balsamic vinegar, the off-menu roll costs $1,000. It's best enjoyed in the Fountain Room, where diners can watch the Bellagio fountains through floor-to-ceiling glass ...

No longer just a pastime among bohemian types, surfing is becoming an increasingly popular sport all over the world. But nothing can spoil a day at the shore like calm waters. Now there's a new solution to the demand for good surf. A New Zealand-based company called Amalgamates Solutions and Research makes and installs artificial reefs that improve waves in places where they don't naturally occur. Made from ecologically friendly sandbags that can create a habitat for marine creatures like shrimp and sea turtles, they also provide coastal protection by absorbing the energy of the water before it hits the beach. The high-tech company is already in the business of making reefs for luxury resorts and hotels in places like Costa Rica and India. But for a starting price of $3.5 million, the scientists at ASR will even design, test and build the ideal reef for surf-loving seaside homeowners (asrltd.co.nz). Gnarly.

Those seeking a gym worthy of their Stella McCartney exercise clothes are in luck. A new wave of luxury fitness centers allows exercise lovers to work up a sweat in high-concept spaces designed by brand-name architects.London's trendy $10 million Gymbox even resembles a high-end nightclub. Created by Ben Kelly and the award-winning firm Light and Design, the space offers neon lighting, film projections, split-level flooring and a "floating" dance studio that can turn into a nightclub at the flip of a switch (www.gymbox.co.uk).The 1,700-square-meter Younique fitness club and spa in Milan features a downstairs spa area that includes a Swarovski-crystal-studded sauna, Turkish bath and warm-massage waterbeds (yhc.it). Famed design firm Conran and Partners transformed an old glass factory in Cambridge, England, into Glassworks, a sleek new health club that preserves the original timber roof and exposed-brick walls. It also boasts a ground-level Jacuzzi, where members can view boats...